The document provides guidance on developing an effective API strategy. It emphasizes that few organizations have a real API vision or strategy, and stresses the importance of having short-term, actionable visions to guide API programs. It also highlights the need to change mindsets and behaviors through new product-focused teams, stakeholder buy-in, partnerships, and fast-paced execution to successfully transition to digital. The author offers their expertise from leading a large API program to help others learn from both successes and mistakes.

1. A HARDCORE GUIDE TO
API-STRATEGY …
Nordic APIs Oct 2019

2. LET’S
CONNECT!

3. 25

4. I’M A CATALYST

5. WTH
IS A
CATALYST ?

6. Kay Lummitsch
THE DIGITAL JOURNEYMAN
Trusted Advisor To High-Profile Digital Programs |
API-Program Expert |
Proud Member Of The Global Catalyst Team @axway |
Rainmaker |

7. ON STRATEGY…

8. Almost no organization
has a real API-Strategy!

9. Almost no organization
has a real API-Vision!

10. TAXI

11. We’re just
messing around!

12. NO VISION
NO STRATEGY
NO NOTHING

13. #SAD

14. WHY?

15. The thinking that
created a problem will
never be able to solve it!
˜Albert Einstein

16. YES!

17. AND

18. “Organizations which design
systems ... are constrained to
produce systems which are copies
of their organizational structures”
— M. Conway

19. TRANSLATES TO…

20. Organizations which try to leverage
APIs ... are constrained to produce
APIs / Services / API-Products
which are copies of their bad
habits!
— The Digital Journeyman

21. SO

22. C
N
A EH G

23. THE FOUR
QUADRANTS
OF CHANGE
….

24. mindset
behaviour
&
communication
technology
&
structures
culture

25. mindset
behaviour
&
communication
technology
&
structures
culture
THE STATUS-QUO
- THE MESS WE ARE IN -

26. WE HAVE
BECOME
COMFORTABLY
NUMB!

27. mindset
behaviour
&
communication
technology
&
structures
culture
THE DIGITAL
WORLD

28. 1 + 1 =

29. mindset
behaviour
&
communication
technology
&
structures
culture
The 1 + 1 = 2 World

30. mindset
behaviour
&
communication
technology
&
structures
culture
The 1 + 1 = 3 World
The 1 + 1 = 2 World

31. mindset
behaviour
&
communication
technology
&
structures
culture
The 1 + 1 = 3 World
The 1 + 1 = 2 World
Welcome to a world
where 1 + 1 is more
than the sum
of its parts …

32. THE
BOSS
ON
1 2 3

33. …

34. HOW TO GET
THERE?

35. V
I
S NI O
O N

36. SPONGE
VISIONS

37. We will be a Digital Leader in 5
Years…
We will smell better…

38. A Slogan Is Not a Vision!

39. Actionable
Short-Term
Visions

40. ”We are going to reinvent our
organisation - We show up with up
to three Monetizable Digital
Products in 12 Month and then go
on and on and on … We’re
heading radically towards Digital”

41. S
Y
R TT A
O
N GE

42. Product Thinking

43. If whatever you’re doing
can’t be treated as a
Product - You must let it go!

44. Teams

45. From Project
To Program
To Self-Organized Teams
TO #SUCCESS!

46. Leveraging APIs
is #NOT
yet another
Software Project.

47. Stakeholders

48. Don’t ask!!!

49. Who says
#NO?

50. Alliances

51. YOU NEED TO HAVE
FRIENDS!

52. > HELLO
> WORLD

53. …and then?

54. EMPTY YOUR
CALENDAR!

55. RADICAL
OWNERSHIP

56. Learn to say
#NO!

57. Build your
Team!

58. Start to think
In Products!

59. outside-in

60. consumption

61. revenue

62. customer
satisfaction

63. CONSEQUENCE
LOGICAL
THE

64. API-PRODUCT
MANAGEMENT

65. DELETE
the role
PO!

66. API-Product Managers
are a new breed of crazy
Technology-Business
Cowboys

67. SPEED

68. Thou shalt not
only be fast …
Thou shalt be
#SUPER-FAST!

69. When you go slow the
momentum dies, and
“business-as-usual”
eats change for
breakfast!

70. STRATEGY
VISION

71. Create an actionable
Short-Term Vision!
Time-line -
12 Month #MAX

72. Create a rock-solid
Strategy how to get
there!

73. HINT: If creating your
Vision and Strategy takes
longer than 12hrs, you
overcomplicated things
again!

74. ˜Kay Lummitsch - The Digital Journeyman
“If every business is a digital
business - and - #AdaptOrDie was
never meant to be a joke - every
half-hearted or luke-warm approach
to adopt - will end in dying!”

75. It’s not a Digital Journey -
It’s a #DigitalRace!

76. WHAT I WISHED WHEN
I LED THE SWISSCOM
API-PROGRAM…

77. “At various moments on the journey
I was feeling totally frustrated! Why
didn’t some kind of superhero come
from Mars to help us, telling us the
brutal truth about what works and
what doesn’t ?”

78. IN #NUMBERS …

79. CHF 12.000.000,00
thrown out of the
WINDOW!

80. You need a guide
who has been
there!

81. We have been
there!

82. Talk to us…

83. A Hardcore Guide to API-Strategy

84. Kay Lummitsch
THE DIGITAL JOURNEYMAN
Trusted Advisor To High-Profile Digital Programs |
API-Program Expert |
Proud Member Of The Global Catalyst Team @axway |
Rainmaker |
THX